How often do you help your child with homework?

Charlotte Uwineza, a resident of Bibare Village in Kimironko, says most uneducated parents have trouble helping their children with homework. “I’m not trying to stereotype uneducated parents because there are several reasons why they didn’t get a chance to go to school. However, these parents need to seek help from teachers to be able to tutor their children. It’s funny how even the educated ones don’t spare time to help their children with their homework claiming they are very busy or tired,” Uwineza says. The mother of two says that the only way a parent can find out if their children have any weakness at school is if they get time to study with them at home. “You can know your child’s strength or weakness in a subject if you practically work with them at home. For example, my daughter hated colouring during her first days in school. But now she is in grade one and is comfortable with all her subjects,” Uwineza discloses. She concludes by saying that children need guidance at an early stage in life. That way, they will learn to love what they do. According to an article published in parenting .com, ‘How to Help Your Kids With Homework’, Ann Dolin, the author of Homework Made Simple: Tips, Tools, and Solutions for Stress-Free Homework, states that “Research says the single best way to improve your child’s homework performance—and bring more peace to your home—is to insist on a daily schedule or routine.” She further said that in some homes that means doing it right after school. For others it can mean waiting until after dinner if your child is the type who needs to expend some energy before diving back into the books.Dolin recommends giving all kids at least 30 minutes to have a snack and unwind, with one caveat: “That half-hour break really shouldn’t involve anything with a screen—television, e-mail, or video games—or you may have trouble getting kids off.”Have your child come to you after completing the first few questions or problems on their assignment so you can check whether they are doing it well. Offer praise and then, if necessary, help them correct their work. This will give them the encouragement to keep working, and if you check early enough you can head off possible frustrations. I recently chatted with a parent and she told me how her four-year-old daughter one day came home singing rhymes she had learnt at school, expecting her mother to know them. Unfortunately, her mother had studied in the village, so most of the rhymes she knew were in her mother–tongue and not English. Given the fact that her daughter believes that her mother knows everything, this was a challenge. However, she figured Youtube would help her out and it did. She is now a pro at these English nursery rhymes. As a parent do you help your children learn?